Lighting Question

[Jordan]

I obtained a dual-strip T5 light off craigslist for $5. It has two bulbs, but they're bent into a U-shape, so there's 4 rows of bulbs. Regardless, I don't really know what it is other than the fact that it has 3 plug-ins, and the guy said it was over $100 new and it was only $5. Anyhow, it's only 36" long and I have a 75 gallon tank. Can I just sit it on top of my glass canopy? It has fans to dissipate heat. Will it put out enough light to do a slightly planted tank with low light plants?

If this helps any, the two bulbs are:

1 - CF 96W 12000K Daylight
2 - CF 96W Blue Actinic


Thanks for your help

 

[bob965]

You're talking about a compact fluorescent fixture, not the same as T5. They are known to run hotter than a linear fluorescent fixture of the same size, so I would be concerned about damaging the plastic center brace of your tank from the heat. Most of the time, these come with some kind of mounting leg system so they're not sitting directly on the tank. It will put out alot of light, definitely enough for low light plants, but the actinic bulb won't be of much use. I would replace both with some 6700K lamps.